SB Nation - Kevin Boothe

Do you know what time it is? It's Ernie P. time

Ed Valentine — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:00:21 -0000

More photos » by Brian Blanco - AP

One of the subjects Ernie Palladino and I discuss this week is the future of the Giants offensive line, especially someone like Kareem McKenzie.

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Just because it's a bye week for the New York Giants, doesn't mean the real workers around here -- bloggers like Ernie Palladino and myself get to goof off. We still have to provide manna for readers hungry for Giants' stories. So, here is this week's swap of questions with Ernie P.

As always, his answers are below. Mine can be found over at Ernie's house, which he affectionately calls 'Giants Beat.'

1. Given the post-bye schedule, can the Giants fight their way into the postseason?

Ernie's Answer: Well, it's going to be a tough climb, but it's certainly possible. You can look at the need to go 5-2 to reach 10 wins, which would basically lock up a postseason berth and say, "No way. Not how this team is playing." And you'd be right. You could also look at the combined 34-22 mark of their seven remaining opponents, six of which are conference games, and be understandably pessimistic. But I always hearken back to the words Jim Fassel repeatedly used when talking about such matters: "It's not who you play, it's when you play them." Nobody can say how these teams are going to play two, three, six weeks from now. Look at Denver. They jumped off to a 6-0 start but just lost their second straight Monday night, and looked horrible doing it. Do you think Dallas is going to steamroll into the Super Bowl? Maybe. But the Giants did beat them at home and the Cowboys have been known to go into late-season swoons. You really think Washington is going to be all geeked up in Game 14 to save Zorn? I don't. Now, I'm not saying the Giants don't have a big hill to climb even to get to 8-8 (which, by the way, could get them into a wildcard if the wide-open NFC falls right). All I'm saying is the postseason is not beyond the realm of possibililty. Do I think they're capable of turning it around? Now that Aaron Ross is headed back and the team is getting healthier, yes I do. That said, watch them drop six of the last seven.

2. Is the short, controlled passing game Eli Manning exhibited in last week's loss to San Diego the way to go?

Ernie's Answer: Oh, yeah. Notice how much better the tempo was and how well they moved the ball for the most part. No more stupid home-run shots on third-and-2. Instead, a nice, steady movement down the gridiron. When you've got guys like Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks who can make hay out of the flanker screens and sideline out routes, it's better to use those elements than try to get it all at once. There's a reason Eli went 25-of-33 for 215 yards and two touchdowns, and it wasn't because he was constantly looking 40 yards downfield. If the Giants are smart, they'll limit his downfield shots to two or three per game, and only if they're in the lead. Otherwise, stick with the shorter passes and give me more cowbell, er, I mean, Brandon Jacobs.

3. Many of the players say this four-game losing streak hasn't shaken their confidence. Do you believe them?

Ernie's Answer: Absolutely. Without a doubt. And tomorrow, I'm going to buy that piece of beachfront property Justin Tuck is trying to unload in Arizona. Gave me a good price on it. Are you kidding? I don't care what kind of bravado the players put up. It's all a facade. This is a team that has all but fiddled away a 5-0 start with four straight losses, looking horrible in three of them and then falling victim to their coaches during crunch time of the last one. Put yourself in their situation. Feel your head spinning? Getting a little queasy in the stomach? Guaranteed, that's how they feel. They're searching and self-checking, wondering where the hell it all went wrong. I've never been big on the bye, but I really believe this one comes at an ideal time. If ever a team needed a break, it's this one. Perhaps they'll come back for Atlanta mentally refreshed, having spent some time away from the Xs and Os that right now seem as elementary as hitting a Mariano Rivera cutter.

4. Has the offensive line finally gotten too old to get the job done?

Ernie's Answer: I really like those guys, all of them. But I'm starting to think that some spots may need changing in the near future. Maybe even this year, starting with right tackle Kareem McKenzie. Maybe it's time to put either Kevin Boothe or Will Beatty in there and see what they can do. Kareem just doesn't seem to have the ability to keep up anymore. Granted, he's still struggling some with the groin injury. But he's let up some pressure on his side, and the run-blocking hasn't quite been up to par. David Diehl has also had his problems on the other side. And Shaun O'Hara may be having his most inconsistent season since he arrived here in '04. Of course, I could be wrong. It could be the overall scheme, which now relies heavily on the pass, that is causing all this. Run blocking needs rhythm, and when you're constantly going away from the run, rhythm is hard to generate. These guys aren't consistently blocking downhill anymore, so naturally they don't look as effective. I do believe that if not this year, then certainly next year, the unit that has played together for 39 out of the last 40 games will need some new blood.

Football Outsiders Almanac, New York Giants, Part III: The offense

Ed Valentine — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:00:16 -0000

More photos » by Mike Groll - AP

New York Giants offensive linemen Shaun O'Hara (60) and David Diehl (66) hit a blocking sled during Giants training camp at UAlbany.

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We continue our look through the 2009 Football Outsiders Almanac summary of our New York Giants with a look at this year's offense.

We have been over and over the wide receiver situation. If you are a Football Outsiders' devotee you know they have done exhaustive research and concluded the Giants were actually better last season without Plaxico Burress than they were with him. I am not going to belabor the receiver issue any further. You can buy the Almanac or download the free Giants chapter if you want to read that portion.

Instead, I thought I would look at some of the other points FOA makes regarding the Giants' offensive success.

The FOA makes the assertion that the group most vital to the success of the 2009 Giants is not the receivers or the running backs. Rather, it is the offensive line.

The place where New York has impressively managed to avoid injury for two years running is on the offensive line. No starter has missed a regular-season game for two seasons. It’s a remarkable accomplishment,
considering that no other team has seen its starting five linemen make it through two consecutive seasons without missing a single start since 2003. In 2002 and 2003, both the Chiefs and the Vikings managed to pull off the feat; neither made it to three years, although the Chiefs’ starters only missed a single game in 2004; the Vikings’ linemen missed 18 games in each of 2004 and 2005.

For the Giants, the basis of their team’s strength is in the combination of the offensive line with fullback Madison Hedgecock, so losing even one player for any period of time would be a huge problem. When Kareem McKenzie struggled with a back injury last year and had to come out for periodic extended breathers in the middle of games, he was replaced by utility lineman Kevin Boothe, who proceeded to nearly get Eli Manning killed. The team has only Boothe and second-round pick William Beatty for recognizable backups, so an injury to a key player like right guard Chris Snee or center Shaun O’Hara could be disastrous for the offense.

My take: I have to agree that this is an area that worries me. It has been well-documented that even the center-quarterback exchange has been difficult in camp for any center not named O'Hara. Boothe is now on the shelf with a pectoral injury, Beatty is not ready, no one knows how much Tutan Reyes has left, or if Guy Whimper and Adam Koets can actually play.

All I can say is, cross your fingers and hope we don't have to find out.

The FOA had this to say about Manning.

The once-embattled quarterback had his best season as a pro in 2008, improving his completion percentage and yards per attempt while cutting his interceptions in half, although it’s worth noting that his six dropped interceptions were tied for thirdmost in the league. Manning still has accuracy issues — his rating of 80.9 percent on our accuracy index (see Appendix) was below the league average of 82.6 percent, and 26th amongst quarterbacks who threw at least 100 passes, but he has improved his accuracy on crossing routes and short out patterns.

My take: Eli will never be a model of perfection, or a guy who piles up great numbers. He is flawed, but he wins. That is what counts.

The Almanac also has a little nugget about offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride. I'm sure the Gilbride haters in the crowd will appreciate it.

Kevin Gilbride took some heat for his play-calling against the Eagles in the Divisional round loss, but the problem was less with the scheme and more with the execution. Gilbride has had a habit of wearing out his welcome, though, so it wouldn’t a surprise to see the blame fall on him if the offense gets off to a slow start. Head coach Tom Coughlin appears to have moved on from his old drill instructor style of coaching permanently, but again, it’ll be interesting to see what happens if the team does struggle at the start of the year.

My take: Gilbride has a ton of different offensive weapons with a wide variety of skill sets. His job is to find the right ways to use those skill sets, and watching him try to figure it out will be one of the most fascinating -- and, I'm sure, most talked about -- stories of 2009.

New York Giants training camp: Friday practice report

Ed Valentine — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 22:04:32 -0000

Just one practice today -- a beautiful, sunny 80-degree day here in Albany -- and here is your practice report from New York Giants training camp.

Let's start with a loud, lasting Big Blue View Nation standing ovation. The Giants made it through an entire practice without screwing up one center-quarterback exchange. Believe it or not, that even included snaps from Adam Koets and Kevin Boothe. I gotta tell ya, I played a little quarterback when I was a kid. The idea of taking snaps from Boothe is ... umm ... not appealing.
'Wet Willie' of the day has to go to seventh-round pick Stoney Woodson. The wide receivers made the rookie corner look like a stone statue most of the day. The seventh-round pick gave up long touchdowns on successive plays, first to Hakeem Nicks (from David Carr), then to Derek Hagan (from Andre Woodson, on a beautiful throw). After the second one, safeties coach Dave Merritt (a very vocal fellow, BTW) fired off the line of the day in Woodson's direction.

"Hey, let's go," Merritt said. "That's a first class ticket back to South Carolina."

Ouch! Maybe Woodson got the message, but he still got abused several more times on short throws. One I remember went to Domenik Hixon, and two more where he had no chance against Ramses Barden.

Since I gave out a 'Wet Willie,' I have to toss out a 'Kudos' to make everything equal. That is actually going to go to Hagan, who very quietly had a nice week. He has caught everything thrown at him, including the long ball and two or three mid-range catches today. He also beat Terrell Thomas deep down the left sideline today, but Woodson threw the ball elsewhere. Let's just say Hagan was not thrilled about the ball not coming his way on that play. I have no idea how Hagan makes this team unless there is a rash of injuries, but he is making himself noticed.
The Giants got through the day with no fumbled snaps, but couldn't avoid a couple of interceptions. C.C. Brown picked off long ball from Carr intended for Mario Manningham that was slightly underthrown. Oh, and cancel that Hall of Fame bust I was ready to order for Rhett Bomar. He seems to be getting fewer snaps, and today he threw a terrible interception right into the hands of Jonathan Goff after eyeing his target (Sinorice Moss, I think) the whole way.
The Giants tried two goal line plays at the end of practice from, I believe, the two-yard line. Brandon Jacobs got stuffed on the first and Ahmad Bradshaw got buried on the second. So, yes, the defense is still ahead of the offense.
There were a couple of plays on which the quarterbacks would have gotten pummeled in a live game. On one, defensive tackle Jeremy Clark blew into the backfield at Carr. On another, Mathias Kiwanuka, playing right end, blasted by Kevin Boothe and into Eli Manning's face pretty much before Boothe had moved. BTW, you should read the great piece Tom Rock of Newsday did on Kiwanuka.

I am sure I have left out a couple of details, but it's Friday night and I am headed to the lake for the weekend. There will be open practice threads all weekend, but I won't be back at UAlbany until Monday. I do have one feature I might put together over the weekend if I have time, but I am taking a little mini-break.

New York Giants training camp: Thursday morning practice report

Ed Valentine — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:00:07 -0000

More photos » by Mike Groll - AP

New York Giants wide receiver David Tyree (85) blocks teammate DeAndre Wright during NFL football training camp in Albany Thursday.

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The intensity was turned up -- way up -- during Thursday morning's practice session at New York Giants training camp.

The Giants went with shoulder pads for the first time, and there was some intense hitting.

Coach Tom Coughlin was still not happy with his offense, even though it looked a little better.

"The defense played well this morning. The quickness of our front was obvious ... saw some strong penetrating moves on the part of three or four different guys.

I'm disappointed in the fact that when we put the pads on it's time to put the pads on and you don't expect people to come clean ... but, it'll pick up. It's always that way early. Defense has been playing well, and the offense has gotta get in tune with it and catch up."

Here are some highlights.

Linebacker Kenny Ingram laid the first big hit of camp on rookie running back Andre Brown, most definitely signaling that things were getting serious. Ingram introduced himself to Brown again later in the camp with another nasty open-field hit.
Brown had a nice practice, popping through a couple of holes, including a nice bounce outside on one run. Not to be outdone, Danny Ware also ran the ball well this morning, including a nifty cut back run on a pitch out. NIce little competition between the two of them developing.

Here are some other defensive highlights.

Kenny Phillips made a couple of excellent run stops.
Chris Canty stuffed Ahmad Bradshaw on a run up the middle.
Aaron Ross came clean on a corner blitz and would have destroyed Eli Manning in live action.
Zak DeOssie had a couple of nice plays, including a highlight stop when he straightened up tackle Cliff Louis, and stopped Brown in the backfield.

Here are a few other offensive highlights.

Sinorice Moss caught the one long ball of the day from Manning, getting behind Aaron Ross. The Giants also ran a reverse to Moss that looked like it could have gained a good chunk of yardage. Someone on the sidelines yelled 'Mr. August' when Moss hauled in the ball.
Pretty good morning for Hakeem Nicks, who made a couple of good catches over the middle in traffic. Nicks missed a chance for a couple of big plays downfield, though. On one, he was behind his defender and Andre Woodson overthrew him. On another, Woodson badly underthrew him and Nicks attempted to adjust but could not haul in the ball. That one was in the end zone.
The other rookie receivers -- Ramses Barden and Travis Beckum -- each caught a handful of balls this morning.

Couple of lowlights.

These would, of course, involved center to quarterback exchanges. Kevin Boothe and Andre Woodson messed up one, it looked like Adam Koets and David Carr messed up another. There was also a third, but I couldn't see who snapped it. Veteran Tutan Reyes ended up taking a few turns at center. Who woulda thought Grey Reugamer would be the biggest off-season loss on this team? My guess is the backup center is someone who is not currently on the roster because right now if Shaun O'Hara is injured the Giants are in a world of hurt.
The other lowlight was a dropped pass by Brandon Jacobs. Please, please Kevin Gilbride -- do not call plays where Jacobs has to catch the ball.

An off-beat note.

Ever wonder what a placekicker does to keep himself busy during practice? Well, both Tuesday and today Lawrence Tynes took turns running pass routes during some defensive positioning drills. Tynes also took some turns playing quarterback during another set of cornerback drills. He can throw a little bit, by the way. Oh, the one disconcerting thing? The assistant coaches call Tynes 'LT.' Umm ... fellas, that's wrong.

New York Giants Training Camp: Tuesday morning practice report

Ed Valentine — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:50:34 -0000

Here is your morning practice report from Day 2 of New York Giants training camp at UAlbany. It's a quick one. I'm starving, and we are all waiting on Antonio Pierce.

This was a pretty bad morning for the Giants offensively.

You may never see this again, but Steve Smith dropped passes from Eli Manning on consecutive plays. One was a short in. The second was a deep ball where Smith beat Kevin Dockery by several steps, but could not handle a perfect throw from Eli. The good news is Smith has shown in the first two days he can definitely get deep.
David Carr had a tough day. He had a ball intercepted by Terrell Thomas, and threw a couple of other errant balls. He did get lucky once, though, in a red zone drill. Travonti Johnson tiipped a pass for Sinorice Moss, but the ball bounced right to Moss for a score. Johnson got lots of praise and attention from the coaching staff this morning.
Thomas had a better morning, with the pick and a couple of other nice plays. Monday was tough for the second-year cornerback.
With Adam Koets struggling to get the exchange to the quarterback right, Kevin Boothe took some snaps at center today.
Rhett Bomar impressed again. He threw a brilliant out to Derek Hagan, who could not hang on along the sideline. Didn't matter to me, it was a great throw.
Darcy Johnson dropped a ball for the second day in a row, and might have some competition for a roster spot from Lee Vickers.
The Giants ran a reverse to Moss with Eli as the lead blocker this morning. Yikes! I don't want to see Eli leading the way on a play during camp -- or maybe ever.
Coughlin hinted that the Giants will go full pads on Thursday for the first time, though that is not definite.

Here is Coughlin talking about the offensive struggles.

"It's not mid-season form ... it's early, but I'm not very patient. I'd like to see some progress."

NOTE: The Washington Post football blog, 'The League,' asked me to contribute some thoughts on Plaxico Burress this mroning. I have done so here

This year's useless try at predicting the Giants' season-opening 53-man roster

Ed Valentine — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:00:11 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, left, runs a drill with Rhett Bomar (5) and Andre Woodson during mini-camp last month. The competition for a roster spot between Bomar and Woodson will be one of training camp's most interesting.

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OK, so with training camp only days away it is time to take a stab at predicting the season-opening 53-man roster. It's an exercise in complete futility. I mean, there is no way to predict injuries, and no guessing what veterans might get picked up right before the season starts.

But, I will take a stab at it anyway. Before Week 1 I will have to remember to look back and see how close I got.

Quarterbacks: Starter -- Eli Manning. Backup -- David Carr, Andre Woodson, Rhett Bomar.

The obvious fight here is between Bomar and Woodson for the third slot. Bomar, this year's fifth-round pick, was better than Woodson, last season's sixth-round pick, in the mini-camps. There is very little reason to think that won't still be the case in training camp. The Giants kept only two quarterbacks on the 53-man last season. Most teams keep three, and I am going to base this choice on Tom Coughlin keeping three.

The picks (3) -- Manning, Carr, Bomar

Running Backs: Starters -- RB Brandon Jacobs, FB Madison Hedgecock. Backup -- RB Ahmad Bradshaw, RB Danny Ware, RB Andre Brown, RB Allen Patrick, RB Dwayne Wright.

The roster spots here are easy to pick. The fight that will develop for carries behind Jacobs is not. I haven't got a clue who will emerge as the true backup behind Jacobs. I know, however, that between Bradshaw, Ware and the rookie Brown I'm not worried about it.

The picks (5) -- Jacobs, Hedgecock, Bradshaw, Ware, Brown.

Tight Ends: Starter -- Kevin Boss. Backup -- Michael Matthews, Darcy Johnson, Lee Vickers, Travis Beckum.

Third-round pick Travis Beckum wasn't drafted to block. Kevin Boss can block, but he is a pass-catcher. That means the third tight end has to be a big-time blocker, and that's what Matthews is.

The picks (3) -- Boss, Beckum, Matthews.

Wide Receivers: Starters -- Steve Smith, Domenik Hixon. Backups -- Mario Manningham, Sinorice Moss, David Tyree, Taye Biddle, Shaun Bodiford, Derek Hagan, Micah Rucker, Hakeem Nicks, Ramses Barden.

There are likely six roster spots to be had out of this group, and barring injury or trade it is pretty clear who will get them. That means a sad goodbye to Super Bowl 42 hero David Tyree. It also means cult hero Micah Rucker is likely playing for a spot on the practice squad.

The picks (6) -- Smith, Hixon, Manningham, Moss, Nicks, Barden.

Offensive Linemen: Starters -- LT David Diehl, LG Rich Seubert, C Shaun O’Hara, RG Chris Snee, RT Kareem McKenzie. Backups -- T Guy Whimper, T/C Adam Koets, T Andrew Carnahan, G/T Kevin Boothe, T Cliff Louis, G/T Terrance Pennington, G Tutan Reyes, G/T Orrin Thompson, T Will Beatty.

Each and every Giants' fan should pray that this starting offensive line, one of the league's best, continues to stay healthy. There isn't much in the way of dependable backups.

Second-round pick William Beatty should make the team. Veteran guard Tutan Reyes is likely in. The versatility of being able to play guard and tackle probably gets Kevin Boothe a slot. There has to be a backup center, so Adam Koets probably also sneaks onto the roster.

The picks (9) -- Diehl, Seubert, O'Hara, Snee, McKenzie, Beatty, Reyes, Boothe, Koets.

Defensive Linemen: Starters -- LE Justin Tuck, LT Barry Cofield, RT Fred Robbins, RE Osi Umenyiora. Backups -- DE Mathias Kiwanuka, DE/DT Chris Canty, DT Rocky Bernard, DT Jay Alford, DE Dave Tollefson, DE Maurice Evans, DT Anthony Bryant, DT Jeremy Clark, DT Leger Douzable, DE Robert Henderson, DE Tommie Hill.

If everyone gets through camp healthy, some very good football players will wind up being available to the NFL's other teams. I doubt there is another unit in the league that is this talented and this deep. The hardest cut out of this group will be Dave Tollefson, a popular player who has played well at times in sporadic opportunities. But with all this depth, with Jay Alford doubling as snapper on field goals and PATs, and with the talented Maurice Evans likely ending up on the practice squad I don't know how Tollefson sticks around.

The picks (8) -- Tuck, Cofield, Robbins, Umenyiora, Kiwanuka, Canty, Bernard, Alford.

Linebackers: Starter -- SLB Danny Clark , MLB Antonio Pierce , WLB Michael Boley. Backup -- MLB Chase Blackburn, MLB Jonathan Goff, WLB Bryan Kehl, WLB Gerris Wilkinson, SLB Zak DeOssie, SLB Kenny Ingram, SLB Clint Sintim, MLB Kelvin Smith.

The picks (8) -- Clark, Pierce, Boley, Blackburn, Goff, Kehl, DeOssie, Sintim

Defensive Backs: Starter -- LCB Aaron Ross, RCB Corey Webster, FS Michael Johnson, SS Kenny Phillips. Backup -- CB Vince Anderson, SS C.C. Brown, SS/FS Steve Cargile, CB Kevin Dockery, CB Bruce Johnson, CB Travonti Johnson, FS Sha’reff Rashad, CB Terrell Thomas, CB Stoney Woodson, CB DeAndre Wright.

The Giants are deep and talented at cornerback, a fact that is incredibly important in today's pass and blitz-happy NFL. They aren't so deep at safety, and I think that might leave room for undrafted free-agent Sha'reff Rashad to sneak onto the roster.

The picks (9) -- Ross, Webster, Johnson, Phillips, Brown, Dockery, Rashad, Thomas, Wright.

Kickers (2): P Jeff Feagles, K Lawrence Tynes

Feagles is the best in the business at what he does. Tynes makes many Giants' fans nervous, but he is a perfectly acceptable veteran kicker.

-- New York Giants schedule

Recent Draft History: Oakland Raiders

Jeremy Bolander — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:00:11 -0000

2008 Draft:

1 (4) Darren McFadden, RB STARTER

No one doubts his talent, but better backs have faltered with fewer problems. McFadden spent he season never quite getting on track with various injuries, including the dreaded turftoe, which is the bane of speedsters everywhere. He will likely benefit from the new coaching regime in Oakland, and is a huge part of helping QB Russell develop.

4 (100) Tyvon Branch, CB STARTER

Multiple injuries put the kid on reserve, but in his short time starting, he made Michael Huff expendable. A key component going forward.

4 (125) Arman Shields, WR Backup

After missing most of offseason practices with a bum knee, he was finally IRed and missed the entire season. He'll get a chance to prove himself all over again in 09.

6 (169) Trevor Scott, DE Backup

As a rotational starter this late pick showed the kind of workethic that could elevate him to a star. WIth 5 sacks in only limited reps he looks to be a key piece moving forward, but his slight frame and lower weight than ideal for the position may cap his ceiling at exceptional backup, or roleplayer.

7 (226) Chaz Schilens, WR Backup

Another solid late round pick, injuries hampered him, but whne he was given opportunities, this big WR managed to make Russell's life a lot easier. A big third down target, Schilens could have a possession role for the rest of his career and thrive.

2007 Draft:

1 (1) JaMarcus Russel, QB STARTER

While his development may not be going at ludicrous speed, lost in all of that he is still the youngest QB in the league, who was drafted on upside. With his arm, he has the ability to get out of any predicament, but he still needs to get the nuances of NFL QBing under his belt. Development, development, development is the word with Russell. he can't be asked to dumb his game down with dink and dunk Flacco-style playcalling, or he will never see his full potential. The Raiders knew they would have some growing pains with this QB, and more important than laboring over every little flaw in his game, is the addressing of the offensive line to give him the opportunity to continue to grow.

2 (38) Zach Miller, TE STARTER

By far the most potent and consistent weapon on the offense, Miller will only get better as the team upgrades around him. Tough, no-nonsense, and a willing and capable blocker make Miller one fo the top finds for Oakland in this draft.

3 (68) Quentin Moses, DE Backup/Miami

Moses made no impact for Oakland, and was shipped out before the 2008 season. In Miami he has been injured and deactivated.

3 (91) Mario Henderson, OT STARTER

Henderson has been a huge part of Russell's development, and looks to continue to be so. With his ability to shift to RT, it will give the Raider's plenty of options in the draft.

3 (99) Johnnie Lee higgins, WR STARTER

One of the few Raiders WRs who isn't mired in personal problems, Higgins is their most legitimate threat at the position. He is better served in the #2 role however, so the Raiders will be hoping someone else steps up and allows Higgins to slip back into a less central role.

4 (100) Michael Bush, RB Backup

After failing to be activated in his rookie year, his development was even further delayed under oustered coach, Kiffin. When he can get into a game, he tends to have a dramatic effect, and his bruising style should be jsut what the 2009 Raiders are looking for. He has the potential to be a "breakout" player, just from being used consistently and correctly.

4 (110) John Bowie, CB Backup

After playing the role of weekly inactive his first season, his second season was over before it started with a trip to IR. Bowie will be retained for depth reason, but should be jettisonned once the team clears the high water mark in this rebuilding phase.

5 (138) Jay Richardson, DE Backup

Richardson has stepped in adequately the last two years in the event o fiinjury, and has a good, teamfirst attitude. he will likely serve a depth role for a while with Oakland, and has just enough potential to not be written off in the future as a player who could deliver some impact.

5 (165) Eric Frampton, S backup/Vikings

After failing to turn heads in Oakland, the Vikings poached Frampton and struggled to get him on teh field, deactivating him initally for depth reasons,a nd eventually for injury reasons. his future looks pretty uncertain.

6 (175) Oren O'neal, FB Backup

After an inconsistent rookie year, injuries reared again in 2008 and cost him the whole season. His rehab has been reported as going well, and he expects to be ready for 2009.

7 Jonathan Holland, WR Backup

After being waived with an injury settlement as a rookie, Holland was brought back to the practice squad in 08, and eventually promoted to teh active roster. He will be in the mix for reliable receiver depth in the 09 training camp.

2006 Draft:

1 (7) Michael Huff, S STARTER

Though the team was expected to let Huff go, the loss of Wilson in FA forced their hand. This highly touted prospect is essentially down to his last chance. If he fails to improve by leaps and bounds in his fourth year, there is no chance he even makes it through the whole season.

2 (38) Thomas Howard, LB STARTER

Howard has developed into a young stud, and has prompted comparisons to all time greats at the position. He is definitely an anchor that the team can rely on, and is a devestating force in the middle. 2008 seemed to expose some flaws in his coverage, but he will probably rebound from that in 09, along with the rest of the defense.

3 (69) Paul McQuistan, G backup

With Jake Grove leaving in free agency, the interior of the line should see some shifting to go along witht eh shifting on the ends. McQuistan is one of the bigger more powerful guards, but he will have a tough battle with icumbent Cooper Carlisle, who has done a good job and held his own.

4 (101) Darnell Bing, LB Backup/Detroit

After failing at LB in oakland, the 49ers picked him up and tried hima t safety, followed by an experiment witht he Jets, and finally an inactive roster spot on the Lions.

7 (214) Chris Morris, C Backup

Morris has amounted to little more than safe depth at the center position. As a value at #3, it is unlikely that the Raiders will part with him anytime soon, especially with the loss of a free agent C.

7 (255) Larry McMahan, WR Out of NFL

McMahan disappeared sometime during the 2006 training camp,a nd was never seen nor heard froma again...